Chapter 138. The Goddesses' Conference (1)
After Earth's destruction, when the age of void ended and apocalypse dawned upon the world, the seven goddesses who planted the seeds of new humanity and remade the world were as follows.
Juno, Guardian of Marriage
Venus, Guardian of Creation and Birth
Proserpina, Guardian of the Underworld and the Realm of the Dead
Ceres, Guardian of Grains
Diana, Guardian of the Hunt and the Moon
Minerva, Guardian of Wisdom and Crafts
Vesta, Guardian of Hearth and Temples
On the Arkena Continent, the creation myth tells of how the seven goddesses bestowed their blessings upon the days, naming them after themselves and grouping those days into a week.
On the first day, man and woman meet, marry, and establish a household.
On the second day, new life is created through birth within the home.
On the third day, life and fate are granted to the new beings.
On the fourth day, the blessing of grains is bestowed upon the living.
On the fifth day, blessings of the hunt and livestock are granted.
On the sixth day, wisdom and craftsmanship are given so that lives may be richer.
And on the final day, rest is commanded in hopes of prosperous homes and lives.
The last day of the week, Vesta Day, grants all palace maids, ordinary soldiers, knights, and mages serving the kingdom—except for the minimal staff required for essential duties—an unconditional day off.
As a result, many people head to the capital to relax or spend time with lovers and family, filling the capital's shopping districts with lively commerce every Vesta Day as they welcome these visitors.
In this world, the day has come when I get to meet them in person...
No human could believe in the gods' existence and also imagine they could ever witness them directly.
Maybe even the Paper Goddess could be received someday?
Child... Focus.
"Ah, sorry."
Eunhyeon hurriedly shook off the stray thoughts in his mind and quietly stood behind Verdandi's seat.
Though chairs were scattered around the round table in the conference room, their irregular placement around the seven goddesses made it clear they were divine seats, each belonging to a specific owner. Sensing it would be unwise to sit arbitrarily, he stood behind Verdandi and gave a small greeting to Urd and Skuld, who sat on either side of her.
"It's been a while since I've seen you both. This is the first time since you granted me the apostle's powers."
...Yes.
Indeed.
One goddess responded indifferently, the other nodded calmly, accepting Eunhyeon's greeting. He turned his gaze back to the center of the round table.
Before we begin the meeting, note that this session includes the human appointed as apostle and the three Norn goddesses overseeing him. Any goddess with objections, raise your hand now.
In the solemn, commanding voice, no goddess raised an objection.
Then I declare this creation conference open. The first agenda is the handling of the entity called the "necromancer" who toyed with mortal souls at will. Proserpina, what is the status of the "necromancer" and "alchemist" who disrupted the continent?
The goddess, wife of the god who managed the underworld—the gathering place of human souls—stood at Juno's question and spoke.
Those two souls never reached the underworld. I judge they did not ultimately die.
Then that transcendent being called the "Queen of the Dead" may still hold those two souls. We cannot rule out the possibility of their resurrection.
Regrettably, yes. If those souls reached the underworld, we could erase them without purification... but bound to the mortal realm as they are, neither I nor my husband can intervene. Interfering with the mortal world is truly difficult. That entity is utterly beyond norms to begin with—dragging souls from the underworld by force...
They could impose no restraints, yet the foe interfered freely in their domain, taking what it wanted.
In many tales, gods were depicted as absolute beings who could achieve anything, but reality was constrained by one rule: "Gods cannot interfere with the mortal world." This single limitation led to profoundly unreasonable situations.
From the gods' perspective, Media's existence seemed an intractable headache they were powerless against.
...For now, nothing can be done. At any rate, with the demons and that transcendent sealed in the demon realm, no immediate danger should arise.
Wasn't the reason that transcendent manifested in the mortal world as a spirit—because of that human?
Fundamentally, Media had appeared in the mortal world out of longing for reunion with Eunhyeon after so long.
When one goddess pointed this out, Verdandi bristled and rose from her seat.
Diana, how is that my child's fault? My child has saved countless lives in Arkena and strove tirelessly to rescue humans in this incident! Why must he hear such things?!
Hmph, can you say that human bears no relation to the transcendent's appearance?
Media had gazed at Eunhyeon in rapture, whispered her love, promised to meet again, and departed—driven solely by the desire to see him, leaving without lingering once her business was done.
Without that transcendent's intrusion, we could have dealt with the necromancer and alchemist by now, eliminated the seeds of threats to the mortal world, and averted the crisis. But it burst in, rescued those two humans, and vanished mockingly. Had that human not been there, the situation might have resolved easily.
No. That's mere hindsight.
...Do you think my view is wrong, Minerva?
Minerva nodded, denying Diana's words as her eyebrows twitched.
A close look at the incident shows that child's efforts reduced potential casualties from thousands—tens of thousands—to mere hundreds. It's a clear deviation from fate's original flow.
Whether thousands or tens of thousands die means nothing! The real issue is failing to eliminate the seeds bearing fates that could doom the mortal world!
To the gods, human lives held little importance.
Humans were consumables maintaining and cycling the world, producible in masses as at creation if needed.
For such gods, "managing the mortal world" was paramount; the deaths of many lives there were mere parts of the world's cycle.
Though Eunhyeon knew of this stark divide in values between humans and gods, hearing it directly still twisted his gut.
Something dissatisfaction you, human?
Diana, noticing Eunhyeon's expression, arched an eyebrow and addressed him.
"No. None."
Your face says otherwise. Speak if you have something to say.
"I don't."
Eunhyeon stated firmly.
With that look on your face?
"Even if I spoke, it wouldn't change anything. You goddesses couldn't understand my words. I'm just a mere human, after all."
A goddess could never grasp human thinking.
Their origins, roles, and environments differed fundamentally.
...What did you say?
"But I understand your words, Goddess. I just don't agree with them. That's all."
Eunhyeon understood the gods' mindset perfectly.
For 400 years, he had conformed to it, suppressing personal emotions and "choosing" lives to sacrifice.
Yet he never thought it right.
He no longer sought or desired their understanding.
Just that—disillusioned and resigned after enduring their ways exhaustingly, Verdandi felt unbearable guilt and sorrow for having shaped him thus, her face pained.
A mere human playing word games with a goddess like me...!
Enough!
Grr...!
At Juno's roar, who was leading the meeting, Diana bit her lip, glaring fiercely at Eunhyeon.
Three hundred years ago, shortly after we seven goddesses created the continent, that child slew the necromancer witch and prevented massive casualties. I respect his achievement. This is not a place to hold him accountable. Diana, refrain from unnecessary remarks unfit for this gathering.
Grr... F-Fine...!
Diana bit her lip hard, her face resentful, reluctantly complying—yet trembling with rage at the perceived insult, still glaring at Eunhyeon.
He stood calmly under her wrathful gaze, but a chuckle escaped him at Verdandi's action: grabbing his arm, pulling him behind her chair to shield him from Diana's stare.
"Goddess. I'm fine."
I'm not.
Grateful, Eunhyeon nodded slightly to Verdandi.
Now to the second agenda: compensation for that child, offspring of the three Norn goddesses.
What?
Suddenly the topic turned to him, Eunhyeon widened his eyes and glanced sideways at Verdandi's expression.
Hee hee.
Seeing the pleased, nodding goddess, he checked Urd and Skuld beside her—but unlike Verdandi, they showed no particular expression, merely meeting his eyes and nodding faintly.
Their reactions affirmed he deserved reward, leaving Eunhyeon with an indescribably complex look.
Thus, I, Juno, propose granting "Vulcanus' Hammer" to the "Child of the Norns." We will vote on this; the three Norn goddesses overseeing the apostle cannot participate. Agreed?
Agreed.
Urd, the eldest of the three, nodded in agreement, starting the vote.
The result: 5 in favor, 2 against. Vulcanus' Hammer was granted to Eunhyeon.
One opponent was predictably Diana, who grumbled in dissatisfaction; the other silently watched him without reaction.
By majority of 5 ayes, Vulcanus' Hammer is granted to the Child of the Norns. Child, any questions?
"...A hammer?"
As a human child, this must be your first sight of divine arms.
Juno rose from her chair at the round table and approached Eunhyeon slowly.
Raising her right hand palm-up, a pure white flame began hovering above it.
"This is... Ah..."
Before he could speak, she extended her hand, pushing the sacred flame into his chest. Naturally, his body absorbed the flame Juno created, taking it within.
Miraculously, his insides calmed, filled with a cozy warmth.
Feeling the stark difference before and after, Eunhyeon couldn't hide his amazed, bewildered expression.
Imagine the "hammer" in your mind. Not just any hammer—the ultimate one embodying all your smithing skills.
Following Juno's advice, as Eunhyeon visualized it, a masterfully gripped blacksmith's hammer settled perfectly into his hand.
"Is this... a divine arm?"
Yes. Precisely, I've imprinted Vulcanus' arm directly into your soul. Divine arms have no fixed form. They manifest suitably according to the user's capacity and will.
Conversely, insufficient capacity or unclear will made full utilization impossible.
Even more astonishing, imprinting the divine arm etched divine power into his body naturally.
This... is truly impressive...
For Eunhyeon, who had always borrowed power from Verdandi, gaining his own divine power was the greatest joy.
"Thank you so much."
Eunhyeon bowed deeply, thanking not only Juno but all who voted.
With the second agenda concluded, this creation conference is adjourned.
As Juno declared, the goddesses began vanishing one by one, business done.
Finish up and go, then.
"Understood."
...Nice seeing you after so long. You seem brighter than before; that's a relief.
"...Thank you for your concern."
Unlike the impassive Urd, Skuld—like Verdandi—had worried inwardly about Eunhyeon's crumbling mind.
Looking forward to meeting again.
"Yes. Farewell."
With Urd and Skuld gone, Eunhyeon turned to Verdandi.
"Goddess. Then I'll..."
Hey.
"Yes?"
As Eunhyeon opened his mouth to bid Verdandi farewell, he turned at another goddess's call.
A goddess with long silver hair smiled with her eyes, waving lightly at him in greeting.
Hello?